engleski

How to communicate refugee crisis in Mediterranean area? Integrated communications as a strategy for integrated Europe

In the second half of 2015, Croatia faced a new challenge – a great refugee wave from Middle East. The influx of so many refugees opened many sensitive issues and has led to questioning of the fundamental principles underlying the idea of solidarity of the European Union. The first to face the influx of large numbers of refugees were European countries in the Mediterranean, amongst others, also Croatia, thus becoming a sort of a "hot spot". The suffering of thousands of refugees in the Mediterranean area, unfortunately, did not cause so much attention of politicians and the media as setting wire border. Strategies with which the European countries affected by the refugee crisis deal with this problem oscillate from the strategy of solidarity and open doors to the panic and fear of terrorism, fear for European cultural identity and the consequent strategy of closing borders and setting up barbed wire. Croatia, from the beginning of the influx of refugees, operates a policy of open doors and has become a transit center for refugees from Middle East going to the developed countries of Europe. Neighboring countries (Slovenia and Hungary) have opted for a strategy of strict border control, including barbed wire. The refugee crisis is a major financial, logistic and security issue for the countries of final destination for refugees, but also for the transfer countries. In Croatia, in the public, it is generally not spoken on this crisis in the context of all its aspects, but only certain aspects of the crisis have been problematized. There was no adequate official information/education campaign about refugees and the causes of this crisis, the paper emphasizes the importance of integrated communications strategy in the public communication of important social challenges and outlines the crucial elements of information and education campaigns.

refugees ; crisis ; Mediterranean ; integrated communications strategy ; xenophobia ; terrorism

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